"Hard borders" also need to be

flexible. 

I know border closures are an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus but there also needs to be some commonsense. Right now there seems to be more concern about whether a cricket match should be played than getting people home.

As I understand it some members of the relevant cricket teams broke the rules. If their side loses because of that then too bad. Cricket is supposed to be a game. If money is lost over this then people need to be fined or banned - perhaps both. If they have broken the rules designed to keep everyone safe then they need to be sent home. 

Getting them home will happen anyway. 

What is much more worrying is people who live in one state being stuck in another state because they didn't manage to get across the border before it was closed again. Now I understand why they have closed off certain areas. It is an attempt to try and contain the virus. That makes sense. We don't want the same situation as people in the US have got. There some less responsible people decided to travel although they were warned against it.

Here many people thought it was safe to travel. They were not advised against it until recently. Suddenly though there were warnings. People were turned around at airports. People cut short their holidays and rushed home.  Others were in queues waiting to cross the border from one state to another. They were told there was a time limit. Once the deadline passed they would have to get permission to cross the border - to go home.

Now of course not everyone made it.  Some people simply thought they would be allowed in "because I/we live there". Others had a car break down and didn't get to the border in time. One person I know of was in hospital for an unrelated to the virus reason. Getting permission is proving difficult.  

A colleague contacted me yesterday. She was apologising for not getting something done. The reason? Her perfectly nice and very responsible teenage son and three mates had gone camping for a week - over the border. They had taken one phone with them "for emergencies" but they were "out of range" (not unusual in that part of the world - coverage is poor). The whole idea for these boys was that they would be "out of it" for a week. They didn't want any screen time. None of them had heard any news and attempts to reach them to tell them to come home quickly had not succeeded. The police knew where they were because the boys had told them where they would be on their way in. Yes, sensible and responsible - in the normal way.

Nobody at the police station thought of the four lads who needed to get back over the border. They are stuck. If they do get permission to go home then they will need to isolate for a fortnight. They need to do all this even though they have had no contact with anyone else for almost a fortnight now.  My colleague's partner and the father of another boy have now travelled to the border and arranged for more food to be taken to them. If they don't get permission to go home they will need to do it again in another week.

It is one of those ridiculous situations where the rules need to be applied in a flexible way. "You were out camping in the bush away from everyone else? There? Yes, you would be isolated from other people. You have permission to cross the border - just get tested and self isolate for a fortnight."  Surely that is a sensible solution? It is actually the safer solution for everyone. The two fathers don't need to travel. Nobody will need to worry about the boys. 

Camping for a week was fun but the four boys are getting a bit restless now. I don't think they will do the wrong thing but they might get careless. It's something boys that age are inclined to do. 

The news is full of whether a cricket match will be played or not due to actual breaches of quarantine and social distancing rules. A football match was played at a time when severe restrictions were still being imposed on people in one state. There were crowds at the previous matches. People are using public transport, shopping,  and eating in restaurants - one of which has been linked to a current cluster.  If they can do all this but can't get four lads isolated in the bush home then there is something wrong.

It is obvious we still don't have the situation sorted out sensibly.